Have I already blown my chances of a quant career (UK) by pursuing a PhD from a non-target school?

J

JP_Data

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11/4/19
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I have a first class MEng degree (Civil & Structural Engineering) from a top 15 University in the UK (Russell group).

Currently in my second year of a PhD in Control & Systems Engineering (and based also in Civil Engineering).

The PhD involves lots of CFD and also applied machine learning techniques. I am a good coder in C++, Python etc.

I have done background reading and think that I would be capable of a Quant career, and I know the areas I need to brush up on.

Do I have any hoping of breaking into a Quantitative Analyst career? Or should I leave the PhD, and pursue an MFE or try and obtain funding for a "Purer" PhD?

Any help would be greatly appreciated- I don't want this PhD to be wasted time!!
 
dont know wat u mean by "purer"... but u have a shot
though its just ur 2nd year, its still possible for u to do over at a better school. not all phds r created equal. i can see clear difference in quality between a duke phd colleague and a rutgers phd colleague.
 
I suppose I meant "purer" in the sense of a Physics/CompSci PhD. And especially from a "better" institution, UCL/Imperial etc
 
If you want to be a quant, a PhD in CFD is not the quickest route. MFE is probably quicker and more targeted. However, given you're already fairly far in your degree, just finishing the PhD makes sense. What I would do in your shoes is to apply for internships for next summer (I believe the applications are about to close, so do it, like, today): This seems fairly common practice for PhD students looking outside academia, in particular in the UK, odd as it may sound. Nothing to lose here, and you get to soundboard the viability of your current degree path: If you get interviews (and I would expect you to), you don't need to go get an MFE or change schools or majors.
 
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